Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) is headed to the United Arab Emirates for a three-day visit next week, the government announced on Friday.
During his visit, which begins on Monday, Orpo will hold a keynote address at the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. The Finnish government said the international conference offers a chance for the Nordic country to "boost its global visibility as an innovative, highly skilled and responsible partner in the field of sustainable development and technology".
The government noted that the UAE is seeking to diversify its economy, which offers significant trade opportunities for Finnish businesses to help facilitate that goal.
"Trade between Finland and the United Arab Emirates has grown considerably in recent years, and the United Arab Emirates is the largest destination for Finnish exports in the Gulf and Middle East region," the government's release read.
In the statement, Orpo said that Finland has expertise "in many areas the UAE wants to promote".
"There is a great deal of growth potential in areas such as new technologies and digitalisation, the circular economy, the built environment and infrastructure, clean energy production, education and healthcare," Orpo stated.
The Finnish PM will also meet with UAE ministers who work on matters related to the trade mission, the government said.
A delegation of Finnish businesses and research representatives will join Orpo on the visit. They include representatives from Aalto University, state financing company Finnvera, Kone, Nokia, the Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT) and Wärtsilä.
Assembly of the delegation was coordinated by Business Finland, a business promotion group under the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment.
During his visit, Orpo will also open the new Finnish Embassy premises in Abu Dhabi.
11 Jan: Added details, corrected spelling of Finnvera.